


Criticality

by weazelbeater



Series: Love and War [14]
Category: Kill la Kill
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Bad Puns, Deception, Domestic Violence, Drunk Driving, Drunkenness, F/F, Fights, Guilt, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lies, Mugging, Night Terrors, Psychological Trauma, Revenge, Threats of Violence, hardmode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:19:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9686645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weazelbeater/pseuds/weazelbeater
Summary: “Be careful who you trust, even the devil was once an angel.” - Anonymous





	

 

 

“ _Where is she?_ Did you see where she went? Damn it, she’s still in here somewhere, I just know it!”

“I have yet to locate her! But when we do find her, Nonon…you _know_ what we must do.”

“Oh, I know, all right. I ain’t letting that delinquent live…not after what she did to poor Satsuki!”

“Then we are in agreement. Regretfully…we must terminate Matoi with extreme prejudice.”

“Fuck regrets! She’s has this coming…and poor Mako, she…she just-“

“ _DO NOT SPEAK OF THAT!_ Please! I must focus, for the sake of dispensing rightful justice! I cannot dwell on my dear, sweet M-Mankanshoku’s fate right now.”

“I’m sorry, Ira. I know what she means…er, _meant_ to you. We’ll find that fucking abomination, I swear. Vengeance won’t wait! Not after _this_.”

“Agreed. We shall take her out quickly, and without hesitation or remorse. Else she will lay waste to us all, given the opportunity. Did Tsumugu have any other ideas as to why this happened?”

“I wasn’t able to get that far with him, just that the life fibers apparently took total control and that she’s a crazy fucking bitch who _just killed Satsuki-sama_! I’ll slice her stupid fucking _head_ off for that! Goddammit, I _knew_ trusting that transfer student was a mistake!”

“Mmm. It would appear so. Watch your rear! All right, this room is now clear. Let’s move to the next one, carefully. Prepare yourself, Nonon-sama!”

“Oh, I’m ready, big guy. I’m _so_ fucking ready, don’t you worry.”

He sneered balefully, squeezing a few errant tears out of his vision as he passed the frame of the mansion’s cavernous doorway. Clutching Tsumugu’s needle gun as he panned it around the main hall, he swallowed painfully as he prepared to hunt down and execute the entity who so ruthlessly slaughtered the love of his life. Exactly how this happened, Ira wasn’t sure. It all went down so quickly: the frantic call to arms, the desperate search for a confused, hurt young girl, and then…the horror.

Ira checked for the tenth time that the safety was off and that the gun was chambered and ready to fire. He peered down the massive hallway, down to the next door in sequence. Seeing the door move ever so slightly, Ira grimaced as he moved to inform Nonon of his findings, that Ryuko wasn’t far away...and the opportunity to land the killing blow was imminent.

Ira suddenly observed the hallway rushing past his eyes in an incomprehensible blur, and it took a few moments for his awareness to catch up with the confusing reality of his situation. Much to his surprise, he found himself to be already in the next room, held against the ceiling as astonishingly strong arms hoisted him up and pinned his own arms deftly to his sides. The needle gun clattered across the floor, skidding to a stop against the far wall, unfired. A steel limb wrapped around Ira’s sizeable chest as he tried to cry out, to warn his diminutive comrade of the immediate danger posed by the monstrous Matoi creature, now violently upon him. The limb contracted, forcing his lungs to painfully surrender any built-up shouts against their will.

She quickly grabbed Ira’s yellow mane, snapping his skull back as effortlessly as a drunkard would pop open a beer can…and in her own horrid way she was just as desperate for a drink. He found that any further attempts at a warning were smothered quite effectively by Ryuko’s hasplike fingers, crushing his spasming larynx in an effort to make this impending snack time a quiet, uninterrupted affair.

Terrible pain ripped through Ira’s thick neck, galvanizing the gargantuan man’s efforts to peel the monster masquerading as Matoi Ryuko away from his shoulder…efforts that were now in vain as she greedily sucked his consciousness away in huge, determined draughts.

If she were able to focus in such a manner, Ryuko might have noticed the scores of maroon needle-thin fibers protruding grotesquely from her iron fists, her writhing neck and contorted face as she sought to consume every drop of glorious blood from the man’s twitching, jerking meat mass. They greedily darted out, piercing his skin in an urgent effort to absorb the sweet, coppery essence from every point of contact they could possibly make.

Alas, Ryuko was not in the most perceptive state at that moment: she was blood-blind, gorging herself at his gushing throat wound like a parched hummingbird at a bright red feeder…if that feeder were a quivering human corpse, that is. She held him upside-down as she sought to completely drain the hot sack of struggling meat currently caught in between her viselike arms.

A crackling gurgle transformed into a thin, reedy whistle as he was slowly, painfully exsanguinated, his life force stolen away by the hybrid murderess. Glowing red rolled back from under her lids, now twitching with drunken pleasure. She sniffed at the air cautiously, then callously tossed aside Gamagōri’s crushed form as her cruelly contorted nose twitched and snorted.

A tongue slowly coursed over impossibly-sharp canines, their atom-thin fiber edges slicing it as quickly as others could immediately heal it. A single breath escaped her gleaming, crimson-slicked lips.

_“More.”_

  

 

-

 

 

Nonon, finding herself suddenly alone in the dark mansion’s vast hallways, felt her teeth chittering nervously against themselves. She tightly gripped Bakuzan Gako in her white-knuckled fists, trying to use the edge of her ripped dress to wipe off the shiny, sticky globs of maroon gore that still clung to the gleaming tantō’s pommel.

“ _Nani sore?_ Ira..? Dammit, where _are_ you, you hulking toad? You were just here a second ago! Fuck! Where did you--no, _no,_ **_no_** …this isn’t happening. It is not! I am _not_ wiping my best friend’s blood off of her very own sword. Ryuko is _not_ some blood-crazed demon! I am n-not scared right now…I am _not.”_

“ _Wrong on all counts, Pinky!_ ” Ryuko snarled as she suddenly materialized over Nonon’s shoulder, causing the tiny musician to instinctively stab the tantō out to skewer the leering, blood-slicked face. Nonon was an extraordinarily fast opponent, and her speed was of legend to both comrade and foe alike.

It made no difference, however. Her bubblegum head was jerked back, a surprised gasp choked off by the sheer quickness of it all. That gasp never had a chance of being released, as Ryuko’s savage jaws slammed into the young woman’s neck with terrifying force. Nonon’s taut flesh, neck skin pulled drum-tight from the force of Ryuko’s overpowering exertion, emitted a sickening - _crack-_ sound as multiple, fiber-augmented razor teeth made their serrated contact, slicing into muscles and veins with sickening efficiency. Her pink eyes involuntarily rolled back white, flickering with waves of intense agony as the beast had its murderous way with her.

The gleaming tantō slipped from her slackening grasp, the pommel now stained dark with the blood of two. Ryuko snorted and drooled as she crushed her hapless victim’s form within greedy jaws, the fiber monster drinking its fill of sweet, electric liquid god-energy.

Nonon tried to yell out _‘Why, you traitorous bitch? Why did you slaughter her? She loved you!’, _but the only sounds that emanated from her weakening throat were a pitiful “--huk-huk-uk-huk- _uk- **hukkk** - **uk** - **huk** hhhh-krrcchhh---*_“ as her lungs slowly collapsed from the intense pressure. Ryuko felt her victim die just then, the last gasp of hateful commentary taking with it the final remnants of Lady Jakuzure Nonon’s short life.

She couldn’t have cared less. She got what she wanted…no, _needed_. The _blood_. The energy of life itself! She wasn’t about to let her immortal battery run low, now was she? No, not with all those convenient recharge stations just wandering about, out there in the world. Ryuko would never run out of energy, there was simply too much of it out there! All she had to do was go out and pluck a few ripe ones off the vine to sate her maddening desires. The very thought sent her into a state of quivering convulsions, fresh blood being converted into immense amounts of energy by the life fibers that called her flesh home.

The creature known as Matoi Ryuko writhed upon the mansion floor, blood caking her tattered clothes, hair plastered to gory, wet cheeks as she rutted in orgasmic, heated bliss. It was too much! The power, the unlimited energy! It burned, seethed, and blasted into the base of her skull as she rode the crest of a wet, maroon wave of atomic fire. Frenzied fingers savagely buried themselves into her crotch as she bucked and moaned, back arching painfully as endless orgasms tore through her body like shining, white-hot acid.

 _It’s too much!_ _Too fucking much! Too—_

-

 

 

Satsuki woke abruptly, the bed still rocking slightly from Ryuko’s sudden departure. Now she finally had an inkling as to why her dream had been consisting of piloting a seafaring vessel, rocked out of nowhere by a sudden squall. It took a substantial amount of force to make notable waves on such a large, cushioned gel-reinforced mattress...her sibling must have been either locked in mortal combat with a silent werewolf, or had managed to sign up for a rigorous sleep calisthenics class.

The echo of a stifled sob brought the actual truth to the surface, out there in the darkened hallway. Oh no…not another bad dream? It _must_ be. Ryuko didn’t cry out like that when she made her way to the toilet, that time when her ill-fated ‘ultimate pizza challenge’ victory over Sanageyama had come back to haunt her in the worst possible way. No, that was just pathetic whining…that was a ‘ _please pity and comfort poor helpless little ol’ me, regardless of my extraordinarily poor culinary decisions?_ ’ type of whine. Satsuki was quite adept at identifying that special kind of utterance, not to mention the fact that she had built up a near-bulletproof immunity to it, too.

This, however, was a harsh sob. The kind of choke that was painfully held back until Ryuko was out of earshot, to allow for her to suffer in secretive silence. However, the poor girl had underestimated Satsuki’s razor-keen hearing once again…so the hunt was on.

The silent huntress eventually made her way towards the downstairs garage; door still wobbling slightly from the force of Ryuko’s rushed passing. Her tracking skills were not being put to the test on this chilled evening, as it had proved to be a blatantly obvious trail of clues to follow: a still-decompressing footprint in carpet here, a recently-triggered nightlight there. Satsuki finally found her thoroughly frightened quarry’s location, easily pinpointed by the sniffling sound that was now echoing in the dark, cavernous garage.

Huddling in a fearful ball, Ryuko shivered uncontrollably in the far corner; not from the cold, but rather from being rattled to her very bones by the terrible dream. Her whispered mumbling made its way to Satsuki’s ears as she moved in quietly. “I’m a m-monster, just waiting to happen. S-so real. It felt so real! I could actually taste...wait, no, I can _still_ taste the bl- uh, oh shhiiit. I bit my stupid fucking lip, damn…that really _is_ blood. I...oh, hell...I even drooled some onto my pajama top? Fuck me, why is this--”

“Ryuko! What just happened? What is going on? Was it another bad dream?”

The young woman stiffened, startled hands slapping against cold concrete to steady her quivering form. The urge to bolt was overwhelming, but there wasn’t really anywhere to go from here…not unless she wanted to cause epic amounts of either property damage or bodily injury in the process. Reluctant surrender seemed to be the wisest option at this point.

“ _*gasp*_ Oh… _shit._ Sats? Sorry if I woke ya. Hey…help me out here, will ya? Maybe you can rig up, um-m-maybe...can ya fit a shock collar on me or somethin’? Yeah, get Inumuta to slap something together. Ya know, just in case I...totally _lose_ it someday? Tell him to make it super powerful, though! Yup, enough to drop a f-fuckin’ rhino or somethin’! Can’t be too careful, these days...not with a hybrid alien predator like _me_ on the loose…”

“That is absolute nonsense! You aren’t some base animal, and you aren’t going to ‘lose’ anything! You are surely better than that!”

“I don’t know, I ain’t so sure about that anymore. I mean...um, the problem here is that I...well, uh, ya see--”

“I know, Ryuko...it was merely a nightmare. I am well acquainted with the phenomenon; certainly I know this feeling myself! It’s all right now, you are quite safe! Come, I’ll make you some hot cocoa while we chat. That always serves to make you feel better.”

“You ain’t hearin’ me, Satsuki. It wasn’t really a ‘nightmare’, per se...I guess it was more like a...um…aw heck, do girls even get those at all? I wish I paid more attention during health class...”

“What do you mean, ‘get those’? I don’t follow.”

“Uh... _*cough*_ Well, I mean a-a wet dream? That thrashing around wasn’t from f-fear, believe me. I was...uh...oh God, kinda o-orgasming in my sleep, I guess? I’ve never had that _happen_ before, and I’m--Satsuki, I am so very sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up or freak you out and I’m just so fucked up about all of this! Please, I just wanna know...what the hell is _wrong_ with me?”

Ryuko held out one trembling hand, fingers still shiny-slick from her frenzied sleep masturbation. She was far from feeling the warm afterglow, however. Her lower lip quivered and puckered from panic-sucking breaths, hyperventilated out into the garage’s cold air as she struggled in vain to comprehend what just happened. Tendrils of steam rose from pleading lips as cold blue pupils dilated to swollen, fearful pits.

“Ryuko, exactly what transpired in your dream? If it was somehow erotic in nature and it _wasn’t_ a nightmare, it couldn’t possibly have been that bad if you were actually masturbating in your... _wait_. Was--oh, please…Gods above, _no!_ Ryuko-chan…was _she_ somehow involved?”

“Uh…? Oh no, not Ragyo this time, I swear! I know, big surprise, right? No...the real villain here was...it was _me_. I was betraying and then killing all my friends, Satsuki...and I was _liking it_. F-first I killed you and poor Mako, and then I went and murdered Ira and Nonon, and I just...I was some fucked up blood beast vampire thingy, okay? Like, I needed the blood for energy or something like that? Hell, it wasn’t like the movies at all; just a quick bite here and then ‘whoops, all done’! No, this was h- _horrible_ , there was blood everywhere and I was tearing out throats and crushing...oh please, no...it was a goddamned slaughterhouse. All my fault! All of it...”

Satsuki reached out and gently grasped one shaking hand, firmly squeezing waves of loving current into it by sheer force of will. Ryuko’s eyes eventually peeked out from through her sleep-deformed mop, head hung pendulously low with guilt and intense sadness. Satsuki Kiryuin’s voice was soft yet determined, much like an adamantine hand encased within the supplest of velvet gloves.

“Dearest heart, it was just an awful dream and nothing more. No matter the details, they simply were not real in the slightest. You haven’t the capacity for such terrible things, your heart is made of love! Ryuko, don’t you see that?”

Weary blinking led to a sad, protracted stare. Ryuko shrugged weakly, a ponderous cloud of doom casting a shadow upon Satsuki’s bright cheer. “My heart is mostly made of life fibers, Satsuki. I’ve seen it. So by that metric, I guess love ain’t exactly the determining factor here, now is it?”

Satsuki reached out and embraced the shivering form before her, cradling Ryuko’s head against her silken-clad breasts. “ _Stop._ Just stop that, here and now. You _know_ what I speak of, as well as the truth inherent within it. I don’t care what anyone else has ever thought of you or your actions. Your soul is comprised of beauty and radiant cheer, and I know this to be the truth! I’ve known true evil, Ryuko-chan. I’ve lived it, dealt with it, and fought it for most of my life. I’ve found that you can learn a lot from fighting someone, and I don’t believe for one second that there was ever _truly_ evil intent in a single swing of yours. Even when you were forcefully bonded to Junketsu, you were fighting it, deep inside. If there were any actual evil to be found within you, that damnable thing would still be inextricably woven within your very flesh _and_ soul, even now! Even when all else is laid bare for all to see, this is the essence of _who you really are_. You never stop fighting, and you never stop being made of love. Believe it, Ryuko...for I _do_!”

The tiniest of nods caused Ryuko’s ruddy streak to bounce in hesitant agreement. Haltingly she stood, clinging desperately to Satsuki as her indispensable pillar of strength and salvation. “I hope you’re right, Satsuki. I really do. I mean, you‘re usually right, and I can kinda see your point…I just wish I could feel as confidently as you do about it? I…I just love you so much, and the very thought of you being hurt by something I did just chills me to the bone! It frightens me!“

Satsuki laughed quietly, a humorous smirk splitting across her soft features. “You couldn’t take me anyways, little one.”

Ryuko snorted in spite of her dark mood. “You arrogant bitch. I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout playing friggin’ Tetris here! You _know_ I could now easily kill just about everyone I’ve ever known if I _really_ took the kid gloves off, even _your_ smarty-pants ass! I just want there to be some kind of plan, just in case I do somehow go all weird on you, all right? I don’t think that‘s a dumb idea, regardless of your precious fawning over me. I’m still a damned hybrid, after all…the only one left. I’m part _alien_ , Sats. That’s a prime example of the ‘unknowable variable’ you always like to talk about, ain’t it? I’m just trouble waiting to happen! Always have been, I guess…”

Satsuki smiled warmly, then leaned over to make purposeful eye contact with the worried girl before her. “Come now, dear heart. Look here, up at me. You know Kiryuin Satsuki _always_ has a plan, yes? We’ll think of something, a way to put you at ease, okay? Perhaps it’s time to pay Mikisugi a visit, since you haven’t had a proper checkup in a little while. He can give you a clean bill of health as always, and perhaps that will serve to settle your fears, all right? Is that a deal?”

Ryuko’s head bobbed in a reserved yet enthusiastic response. “Yeah, okay. I know I’m probably just being silly, but I just can’t get the idea out of my head. I guess if he declares everything is still under control, I could maybe relax a bit? Ugh, I can’t believe I’m actually looking forward to gettin’ all poked and prodded by _that_ filthy perv.”

Satsuki raised her eyes towards the ceiling in bemused resignation, shrugging as she quantified the pros and cons of putting up with the ever-so-slightly obnoxious presence of ‘Doctor Disco Tits’ himself. “Well dear, he _is_ the preeminent expert on life fibers, since Father regrettably passed on. If anyone can detect any latent life fiber issues, it’s him. Now, let’s go check on our hot cocoa reserves in the kitchen, hmm? We cannot take the risk of running low on that precious resource!”

Ryuko’s cobalt eyes lit up at this most delectable remark. “Ooh, I’m gonna head up that expedition! I volunteer for doing all the heavy lifting!” Satsuki bowed, whimsically gesturing towards the door as Ryuko hurried to smooth out her rumpled pajama bottoms. Now attempting to rub the wrinkles out of her disheveled top, she started to nibble her lower lip as a long sigh slipped out, causing Satsuki to reach out and squeeze one shoulder in loving concern as the young girl slipped by.

“Um...sorry I’m such a handful, Sats. Sometimes I wish you had a normal sister, so you wouldn’t always hafta put up with my loony crap.”

“Normal? Why, what on Earth would I do with a ‘normal’ person? How mind-numbingly boring! What would we even talk about, since we’d have absolutely nothing in common? Besides, you aren’t abnormal. I simply consider you to be...unique! I wouldn’t change a thing about you, dear heart.”

“I’m ‘unique’, eh? Huh....oh yeah! Heh-heh! That reminds me. Sometimes jokes make me feel better when I’m nervous, ya know? So…heyyyy, Satsy, how do you catch a unique rabbit?”

“ _*sigh*_ You and your jokes...oh, I don’t know.”

“ _Unique_ up on it!”

“Ugh! That is just terrible.”

“Oh yeah? Fine…so how do you catch a tame rabbit?”

“I shudder to think. Go ahead, tell me. How does one do that...”

“The _tame_ way!”

“Oh dear, that sounds bad enough to be a Mako joke! I take my previous statement back, Ryuko. I’d change your sense of humor to be somewhat _functional._ ”

“ _-hmph!-_ She always laughs at _my_ jokes. Hey, at least I can tell jokes! That’s the one arena in which you couldn’t possibly hope to beat me.”

“I can too! Humor is sometimes a bit...challenging, I will admit. But I _can_ do it! Kiryuin Satsuki can conquer _any_ task she sets her mind to accomplishing!”

“Okay, then prove me wrong.”

“Er...what, now?”

“Yep. Hit me with yer best joke.”

“Ah, very well...hmm. Why is insomnia against the law?”

“I dunno. Why?”

“Well, because it’s resisting a _rest_.”

“…that’s it? _That’s_ yer best joke?”

“Okay, how about this: you know why it’s so hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs…? They always take things _literally!_ ”

“Oh, man. You need help, onee-san.”

“Very well. You asked for it, Ryuko! So I ask you…what do the French call a bad Thursday? A ‘ _Tra-Jeudi’!_ ”

“What was that, a _French_ joke? What the hell…I didn’t even _take_ French in school! Did Ragyo teach you that one or what? Seriously…talk about a buzz kill.”

“Oh, come on! It wasn’t that bad. It’s quite clever, if you think about it! Actually, wait I…just realized that I only tell those jokes to my multilingual business associates. Sorry about that, dear. I assure you, they are quite hilarious.”

“No, this is hilarious: didja hear about the latest banking crisis? Yeah, so Origami Bank folded, Sumo Bank went belly up, and Bonsai Bank is planning to cut back some of its branches!”

“Those…are barely even jokes, Ryuko. Mine were far cleverer than _that._ ”

“Uh-huh. I don’t know what’s funnier: the fact that you think you’re funny, or the fact that you actually try to tell jokes to other people! It’s all in the delivery, Satsy. Maybe I’ll teach you that someday. Okay, I’m bored with this now. Time for hot cocoa…let’s go get some sugar, baby!”

“Wait! I demand one more chance!”

“ _*sigh*_ Fine…go ahead.”

“A pig and a horse once had a race. Who won?”

 “ _-tch-_ …who?”

“Ton-katsu dakara!”

“…okayyyy, now that was kinda funny, I guess. A pig joke! *snort* What a surprise, coming from you of all people!”

“See, Ryuko? I always triumph in the end.”

“Yeah, right! Try this one: what popular drink is made from carrots, cabbages, and broccoli? Give up? It’s _Mitsuya Cider!”_

“Oh, so you want to keep dueling with clever puns now? Here then…what time was it when Godzilla devoured the British Prime Minister? _Eight P.M.!_ ”

“Ah-heh-heh…uh, wait…nope, I missed it.”

“The word ‘eight’ sounds like ‘ate’ in English. ‘P.M.’ is the standard abbreviation for both the Prime Minister and-“

”Oi, I get it now! Just took a minute to remember my English lessons. Okay, okay…not bad, sis! Just think! Someday, maaaany decades from now, you’ll be an actual comedian!”

“Ah, yes. Whereas you will forever be a _joke_.”

“Wow. You ruthless _bitch_ …see, now that was funny! Hee-hee! Zing! Okay, now let’s put that kettle on. I’m all fired up now, and I need some serious hot cocoa fuel, like right away!”

“Oh, just try to simmer _down_ , hot stuff.”

“Okayyy, you can totally stop that now? I’ll admit that you’re _occasionally_ funny. Don’t blow it. Pun time is over! Please lower your wit, Satsy.”

“No need to get all hot under the collar, Ryuko.”

“Uh…Satsuki…?”

“Looks like you’ve met your _match_ , dear! You simply can't hold a _candle_ to me.”

“Omi _god_. Stop, I surrenderrrrrrr…”

“Ha! I’m on fire, but _you’re_ the one who’s cooking now! Don't worry about the pain, Ryuko; your nerves will be the first to go!”

“Holy _shit_. That went from being clever straight to freakin’ morbid, nee-san.”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry! It’s so hard to tell when it’s going to be humorous, as opposed to…well…ah, please accept my apology for disturbing you. It was unintended.”

“Mmmyep. It’s okay. Yer still super cute! I’ll let you off the hook…this time. _–sssip-_ Mmm, come to Mama, liquid chocolate happiness… _ohgodsogood._ ”

“Very well. I shall consider it a draw, then.”

“It wasn’t even a…oi, you know what? Never mind! Here, just drink yer damned tea, ya flippin’ weirdo!”

”Ah. Yes, dear. It was good for me, too.”

“ _*sigh*_ ”

 

 

-Five years later-

 

 

“You finally did it? Awesome! I’m proud of you! Ya know, between the two of us, I’d never guess that _you_ would have a tattoo before me!”

Satsuki shrugged, smile carving proudly across her beaming face. “It felt right. It was the right time to prove ultimate ownership of my body, and my destiny. It would have been out of the question before, given my past life’s circumstances...but things have changed, haven’t they? I am my own person now, beholden to no one.”

“That is so cool of you. Where did ya decide to get it? You go with yer back, like I suggested?”

Satsuki reached up and loosened her blouse, letting it fall from her shoulders as she twirled around to wordlessly show off her new body statement. Ryuko’s eyes wandered around until they found the ornate new ink, adorning Satsuki’s lower back. A gorgeously rendered dragon rested upon her lower spine, which prompted Ryuko’s eyes to widen in humorous surprise.

“Holy crap. You went with a _tramp stamp?_ ”

Nose recoiling in confused disgust, Sats shot a barbed glance at her mouth-stuck-wide-open sibling. “A _what_? It’s a  dragon, you idiot! I know it’s rather fancy, but surely you can tell it’s not some damned hobo! How the hell are you seeing a--what’s so funny?”

Mouth-now-welded-shut Ryuko giggled at the very idea. _‘Omigod, she actually doesn’t know…’_ Satsuki stood there, arms akimbo as she tapped one foot to impatient, rapid beats. A hasty explanation was hinted to be necessary in order to avoid the threat of a most unfortunate confrontation.

“ _*ahem*_ Ah, well…? So you see Satsuki, when a lady gets a tattoo in _that_ particular area, she is generally considered to be signaling her…uh…let’s go with ‘ _greatly lowered resistance to the idea of random sexual liaisons_ ’ to society in general? It’s kinda like an advertising billboard fer slutty chicks. It’s a ‘tramp stamp’? Get it now?”

Satsuki blushed furiously, one hand to her chin as she tried to rack her memory for knowledge of such a phenomenon. “But I’m not a--I’ve _never_ heard of such a thing! Are you playing another trick on me? Because if so, I’m not amused!” Ryuko moved in and hugged the indignantly flustered woman, pecking Captain Satsuki Oblivious on one ruddy cheek as she hummed to herself in thoroughly amused bliss.

“No, no tricks this time. Besides, to hell with what anyone else thinks, right? I think it’s gorgeous. The blue and red look so slick together! Oh, and the detail is amazing, too! Man, I can’t believe someone can draw fine details like that on skin…maybe I should get a tattoo, after all? Hmm. Maybe a righteous meteor would totally rock?! Aw, I think I’m starting to get jealoussss…” Ryuko stared in awe at the new artwork adorning the top of Satsuki’s shapely derriere, and eventually the elder sister coughed nervously and handed Ryuko a small tube.

“Here. I’ll need your help with applying this aftercare lotion. I need to take good care of my damned tra--oh hell, I’m so embarrassed! I only thought to move the design down there so I could get away with wearing low-cut dresses during business dinners. I thought I was being so efficient and…clever…? Now people will surely mistake me for a common _whore!_ ”

Ryuko smirked, patting Satsuki on her shoulders as the recently tattooed lady’s cheeks glowed from pure shamefire. “Oh, come on, nee-san. You know how many times I thought I had a good idea, only for it to be the worst thing ever? You need to maybe screw up like this about a thousand times more before you can even hope to catch up to me!”

She hoisted Satsuki’s sad face up, squeezing playfully as she moved nose-to-nose with her. “It is beautiful. _You_ are beautiful. No one’s even gonna see it anyways, down so low. It’s not like you wear revealing clothing, unless you go to the beach or whatever…and I guarantee that you will be the center of sheer envy to anyone who sees you! How does that line go…? _‘You will show neither shame nor hesitation, even if you wear a tramp stamp for all the world to see! Your actions are utterly pure!’_ Right? Come on, say it." Ryuko squeezed Satsuki’s lips together, warming them up for the speech that was surely to follow.

Satsuki allowed a small grin to appear through her squished cheeks. “You’re right, Ryuko. I cannot allow shame or hesitation to dictate my actions. I must be better than that. I like my new tattoo! It signifies the establishment of final control over my body, and my own destiny! I am in charge of it, no one else! To _hell_ with society’s silly opinions!”

“Yeah! That’s right, ya total tramp! Tell it like it is!”

“ _*gasp*_ You...complete bitch!”

“Slut.”

“ _Shameless hussy!_ ”

“ _Queen Whore of Tramp Village!_ ”

“…”

“…”

“Ah, Ryuko? Do you... _*ahem*_ want to go upstairs and-“

“What, fool around? Oh holy hell, _yes._ I am _so_ turned on right now.”

“Oh good, it’s not just me. Something about this experience has just inexplicably stoked my fire!”

“Well, you get the top this time. Don’t wanna hurt your poor li’l butt dragon!”

“Oh, you’ll ‘hurt the dragon’, all right. But only here, here and especially _-hnff-_ h-here!”

“Mmm, well, if you insist…”

“Mmm. I do, Ryuko. _I do._ ”

 

 

-Present day-

 

 

Syringes were used. Tears were shed. Tests were run. Patients were brazenly hit upon. Doctors were subsequently threatened. Results were promised…but not right away. Comparisons were to be made, analysis was to be performed. The immediate diagnosis, as per Prof. Kiryuin: subject Matoi was noted to be potentially allergic to horny physicians with glowing nipples. Symptom: they made her spontaneously break out…in fists. The proposed treatment: immediate relocation, initiated by the promise of ice cream, followed by intense antique shopping therapy with her beloved onee-san.

Said therapy was determined to be successful after an extended session. Administered several towns over from home, the two girls ate and shopped their way into a state of shared equilibrium. Walking all the back to the parking garage that contained the Mercedes was determined to be ‘utterly lame’ by the exceedingly lazy Dr. Matoi. The somewhat annoyed Prof. Kiryuin postulated that such an extended journey would be beneficial to balance out their recent (and substantial) caloric intake. Her argument was overruled by the liberal use of what is known in certain academic circles as ‘ _the saddest puppy dog eyes_ _ever_ ’. Dr. Matoi enthusiastically hinted as to possessing intimate knowledge of the immediate area, since she had once inhabited it as the infamous ‘Kanto Drifter’, and her infallible directional senses could be trusted to know of a nearby shortcut, one that would take an entire half hour off their travel time back to the car. 

Prof. Kiryuin was noted to be most skeptical, yet she ascertained that giving in to her young colleague could indeed boost the adorable girl’s mood, noting that she was still suffering from some lingering aftereffects caused by recent exposure to ‘Shiny Nipple Syndrome’. Prof. Kiryuin made a mental note to someday administer upon him a thorough ‘D.T.R./R.I.P.’ ( _Dotōnbori Robo/Rectal Insertion Procedure_ ), in order to prevent further unwelcome horniness from being inflicted upon her dear sibling by said glowing-nipple-wielding researcher.

The shortcut, a long, meandering alleyway between two shopping centers, was bravely entered by the intrepid Matoi, doubting Kiryuin in tow. It was only halfway into the trip through the alley before an infestation of urban parasites was subsequently detected, and the Kiryuin woman silently cursed their luck as monetary offerings were predictably demanded, for ‘protection’ in lieu of physical trauma of a most violent nature. This was in addition to the following description of certain unsavory activities; lurid threats that were determined to be disgustingly sexual in nature.

The leader of the group cheerfully sang out his demands as his scattered minions gathered nearby, their assorted pipes, chains and knives at the ready. “Now listen up, my most beautiful and sexy guests! There’s a toll for using our nice, convenient alley as a shortcut. Think of it as a travel tax of sorts? I assure you, the money goes towards a good cause! It’s for a local downtown beautification project!”

Another punk snorted, grunting out “Yeah, the booze makes the local chicks look hot! Haw! But we don’t need no booze fer _you_ girls! Lookin’ good enough ta eat, you two are! Ohhh yeahhh…”

Were she still her younger self, the air would now be filled with the righteous shouts of an incensed Honnōji warlord, beholden to _no one,_ least of all this gutter trash who dared to even speak to her! However, that was deemed to be just a bit too arrogant now, in Satsuki’s esteemed opinion. Perhaps there was another, wiser way? She chose to employ a slightly more subtle tactic to convey her own ideas regarding the current situation.

She rummaged around in her spacious purse, then withdrew a substantial wad of money. The gang’s collective eyes were glued to it as Satsuki waved the cash in the air, a savory chunk of meat to these modern predators. “You’ll be wanting this, then.”

“Heh, of course! Who wouldn’t want to pay the fees owed for the sake of safe trav-“

“No, you dimwitted pig…you misunderstand. You see, this is not for safe passage. This is for your impending _hospital stay._ ”

Satsuki heard a sardonic chuckle just behind her, and a cracking noise filled the air as Ryuko flexed her knuckles. “That’s the spirit, Sis. Always thinkin’ ‘bout the public’s welfare, yeah? Mighty generous and thoughtful of ya. Me, though? I’d be more worried that none o’ these assclowns could afford a proper _burial_.”

The gang leader grimaced, angry that his latest victims hadn’t just rolled over and tearfully surrendered their valuables _or_ their hot bodies. These two obviously weren’t budging, and he needed to wrap this up quickly in order to save face in front of his crew. He was about to answer the tall girl’s proposition with a gleaming switchblade rebuttal when it happened.

Something exploded to his left, a bloom of brick dust and stone chips blowing out from the wall behind him. Blinking reflexively, his head darted over to see exactly what the hell just happened. An amazingly loud bang assaulted him from the right just then, a dumpster suddenly being caved in from the tremendous force of something striking it...but what? ‘ _What the hell is this?_ ’ he thought as the gaping dent magically appeared in the side of the trash container.

Looking up, he managed to barely catch a glimpse of blurred movement from the shorter woman, who had just hurled another object in his general direction. The dumpster mysteriously gained another magic crater, the booming noise shocking the group of criminals as they started to realize that it was merely...a brick? Plain, ordinary bricks were being hurled at a most fearsome velocity by the shorter girl. How the hell was she managing to pull off _that_ feat?

Ryuko gripped another brick in her hand, bluish veins bulging as rock-hard tendons stood out in white relief from the immense pressure. The brick suddenly cracked in two, and she made a clear and distinct show of repeatedly tossing the two halves in the air with both hands, jovially measuring up her next ballistic strike as she grinned at her various targets.

“Scumbag targets acquired! Lemme at ‘em! No one will miss these bozos.”

“Now, now. Remember what I said about murdering people, even in self-defense? The dry cleaning bills are usually more than the bail would be…not to mention our lawyer’s retainer.”

“Heh! Yeah, but it’s _so_ therapeutic!”

“Hmm, yes. Stress relief _is_ an important consideration, isn’t it?”

“Yeah! So lemme just pick off a few of ‘em, and we’ll see how the rest’ll start cowering and blubbering for-“

“HEY! You can’t just come here to our turf and disrespect us! Gimme that fucking money, or else!”

The leader glared at them, shining knife at the ready. He wasn’t concerned with some flashy parlor tricks. So the bitch had a wicked curve ball...so what? He had a nasty reputation to uphold, and they were making him look weak in front of his men. Time for a painful and bloody lesson!

One of the other gang members slowly slid over to insinuate himself into his boss’s peripheral vision, surreptitiously trying to get his attention without becoming the victim of a brick-and-mortar shelling. The skinny youth whispered an urgent plea just as his leader was preparing for a lethal strike. “ _*psst!*_ Yo, uh, Boss? Hold up? Yeah, so…I think I just remembered something like _really_ important just now…? You might wanna-”

His bald head twisted to one side, the leader snarled at his subordinate in anger. “Shut the fuck _up_ , Rokko! I’m negotiatin’ the terms of a cash money deal here!” The underling then pointed a knobby finger at Ryuko, trembling slightly as he did. He whispered a panicked missive as the surly boss felt his boiling blood pressure rise by the second.

“Yeah, but…I’m pretty sure I _know_ that crazy bitch! Remember when I told you I once ran with the Beer Boys Syndicate Gang, wayyy back in the day, out west? Well, I’m pretty sure _she’s_ the one who brought ‘em all down, like as in singlehandedly! I’m tellin’ ya, I remember that red stripe and those freaky eyes! I ain’t never gonna forget those weirdo eyes, not after what I saw that day...that’s the ‘Kanto Drifter’! I’m  sure of it, Boss!”

The leader blanched. His knife lowered precipitously as the wind went right out of his cocky sails. “Bull _shit_! _That_ little girl is the one who-?“

“Yeah, took us all out in one friggin’ afternoon! I’m tellin’ ya man, I remember that fist, clear as day! Dude, she took a goddamned _sledgehammer_ to the back of her _head_ , turned around and...and then she used it to straight up break the ass of the guy who did it! And I mean that literally! She broke. His. _Ass._ Dude, I saw it with my own two eyes!”

“Yeah? And you were drunk all the time, you worthless fuck! Prolly just them D.T.s, causin’ you to see freaky shit again! This can’t be her! C’mon, look at ‘er, she’s just some cute lil’ slut who’ll be sucking my--“

The punk nodded emphatically, green Mohawk dipping wildly as he did so. “Yeah, okay, right…sure! Well, we made the same mistake of underestimatin’ her that day too, man! Look, I ain’t dictatin’ on how to run the gang or anythin’, but if ya want us to bring some cigs or beer in the hospital, like I did with my old boss? Just lemme know ahead of time, yeah? Just try to remember that my old boss _still_ ain’t been able to walk right after that day...sledgehammer was buried in his  ass, man. _In his_ _ass._ ”

He then skittered away, spikes and chains jangling as he quickly hustled away from the unfolding madness. Looking down at the brick chunks, then over at the mauled dumpster, the alley boss slowly felt the instinctive tentacles of self-preservation smothering his volcanic anger. He tensed his jaw, swallowed nervously, and then dramatically explained his newest choices in future gang management policy out for all to hear.

“Fine! Fine…I get it! Boys, it looks like we got ourselves some truly badass bitches visiting us here today, and you all know I got a soft spot fer such lovely examples of real fighting spirit! So, I’ll tell ya what, now. I’ll very graciously issue you both some free one-day passes to use our lovely territory. ‘Cause I’m just _that_ generous! So please, make your way on through. Ain’t none of my guys gonna touch ya, I promise! You can both just go on and get your sweet lil’ selves on home now, go on, get going...”

Satsuki released an imperceptible sigh of relief, then shoved the money back into her cavernous purse. She looked over to Ryuko, motioning to the distant alleyway exit and subsequent freedom with a subtle nod. “Come on, they’ve ‘seen the light’. Let’s get out of this place before they change their minds.”

Eyes squinting from giddy excitement, Ryuko resisted the pull of Satsuki’s delicate hand on her own. “Maybe I don’t wanna go just yet. I could stand to stick around and off a couple of these festering sores. Y’know, do society a favor and all that. Fuckers think they can mess with _me_?” She cracked a knuckle in one tense fist, the pop echoing like a gunshot in the confines of the alley.

The gang leader flinched, raising his hands up as he nervously protested this idea. “Hey, l-look, I fucked up, all right? I made a mistake, but now I-“

Ryuko ground her teeth, temples turning red as she spat out her harsh response. “Fuck that noise. _You_ are the mistake! You goddamned parasites, always leeching off society and dragging humanity down in the process! You need to be culled, plain and simple! And I’m just the person to do it, too!”

Satsuki stared at her sister with an alarmed expression as she sought to latch onto one of Ryuko’s fists again. “”Ryuko, what the _hell_ has gotten into you? We need to leave before this goes even further south and degenerates into a scene that everyone will regret! Please, just take my hand and we’ll just go. Please?”

Whipping her head around in an angry arc, the young firebrand abruptly seized Satsuki’s hand as she poisonously growled “You want my fucking _hand?_ Fine,  here’s my goddamned hand! Ya happy now?” Enraged eyes instantly melted into a gaze of worry as Ryuko observed the odd, pained expression upon Satsuki’s face. Looking down, she then realized that she was accidentally crushing her sibling’s hand in a terrifying grip of steel. She reflexively released her grasp, allowing Satsuki to protectively clutch her bruised fingers against her chest. For one brief, terrible moment, Ryuko could plainly see in Satsuki’s wide, unblinking eyes that she was afraid. Not of them…but of _her_.

The fires were immediately extinguished from Ryuko’s engine of destruction, replaced with a cold, hollow pit of guilty shame. Satsuki was able to forcefully mold her expression of exquisite agony into a fearsome grimace of determination as she proceeded to stalk her way towards the alley’s exit. Head hung low, Ryuko quickly followed as an errant tear or two threatened to sneak past her blustery exterior. She wanted to start apologizing right away, but her breath was hitching on the verge of tears, and any observed crying was certain to trigger a catcall response that would start an unstoppable domino effect of mayhem and maybe even murder. Ryuko adopted the same granite-faced stance as her sibling did, both figures looking to all the world like twin hair-trigger explosions just waiting to happen.

The gang members watched the pair quickly hurry away, heads cocked in abject confusion. One punk managed to mutter under his breath “Th’ fuck was _that_ all about? She some crazy-ass serial killer or what?” The gang leader exhaled, whistling as he slowly realized that there were worse things in the world than meeting _him_ in a dark alley. He adjusted his mirror shades as he addressed the entire group, once the girls were finally gone from view.

“Man, fuck this whole day. Boys, I have the feeling we dodged a scary-ass bullet today. That fuckin’ chick is trouble with a capital T. I’ll tell ya what, Rokko. Drinks are on me today! If that bitch was as hardcore as you say she is, we mighta been disbanded on the spot or worse! Shit, man. Now that I think of it, I once knew someone from that old gang of yours, brother of a buddy from way back when. He lost all his teeth that day, and he swore up and down she was a fuckin’ demon sent from hell, out to slaughter ‘em all with some fucked up weird sword or something! Man, to be eighteen and hafta get full fuckin’ dentures done, just because some psycho bitch kicked ‘em all outta his skull, can ya imagine that? That shit is _fucked up_ , yo. Shit, I need a drink. To the war room, boys! We gotta drink to forget this day eeeever happened!”

Whoops and hollers filled the air as they made their way to their hideout. The atmosphere of their debauched evening turned out to be much brighter than that of the two sisters, now making their way home after a rather stressful day.

Ryuko was so overwhelmed by conflicting emotions that her thought processes were essentially rendered inert. She robotically followed Satsuki to the car, only breaking the silence once their packages were secured in the trunk and they were safely on their way home. Rubbing her upper arms repeatedly in nervous, fretful worry, Ryuko eventually worked up the courage to speak...the brutal silence in the Mercedes’ cabin was killing her, one painful heart squeeze at a time.

“Ah, how _*ahem*_ h-how’s yer hand? Is it okay? Satsuki-sama, I...um, I’m really sorry for flying off the handle like that, I really am.”

Satsuki responded by slowly curling and extending her bruised fingers around the steering wheel, peering intently into the rear view mirror as she did. After considering the various kinds of responses she could utilize, she decided simply to dole out the shortest, most succinct message she could. “Nothing is broken, save perhaps my trust in you.”

Ryuko gasped, her throat swelling with emotion as she tried to find a way to justify her near-homicidal actions. “Please don’t say that, I-“

“What were you _thinking?_ I tried to orchestrate a violence-free escape from an unfortunate confrontation, and you sought to exacerbate it, to turn it into a damned _murder scene!_ I know you have always lived for the thrill of it all, but there has to be a limit, Ryuko! Threatening to outright _slaughter_ people who pose no real threat to you? How could you do such a thing?”

“I...I just wanted to…”

_‘Kill them for daring to cross me!’_

“…teach ‘em a lesson.”

“Yes, I do understand that. There will always be lawbreakers and assorted scum who seek to prey upon others. We simply need to be _better_ than their ilk. You can’t just ‘off them’ because they dared to threaten us!”

“Feh! Like anyone would even miss their worthless asses!”

“Isn’t that what people once said about you? That you were a worthless piece of gutter trash? Yet here you are, seeking to callously exterminate them as though you were lord and master over this realm.”

“You used to say the same about all of the ‘pigs in human clothing’ that dared to-“

“ _I was **wrong** , Matoi! _I was a bitter, cold shell of a human being back then!  How can you perpetually refuse to learn the lessons our lives have taught us? Ryuko, I dictated over a harshly Darwinist society that only served to precipitate desperation amongst those on the bottom who had nothing left to lose! I regret that deeply, for now I have seen the lingering effects of such a life. I would think that you, of all people, would understand that! You were once one of _them_ ; running with gangs, beating up all who dared to defy you...now you seek to exterminate them all? What if one of those men showed up at The Recover Foundation one day, begging for our help? Would you coldly turn them away to perish, or extend a helping hand?”

“I...I...but, that’s different! They’re the bad guys! They were gonna hurt us, or maybe even worse! It was guys just like that who used to try and rape me, when I was living on the streets! Sure, I was able to defend myself, but there were plenty of those who couldn’t! Some scum just _can’t_ be helped or forgiven, Satsuki!”

“Ah, and this coming from the girl who once admitted the desire to forgive Kiryuin Ragyo and even attempted to bring her back to Earth, planning to offer her a chance at absolution along the way. Hmm, yes. I see. Forgiveness is a fickle idea, coming from you. How disappointing.”

Ryuko was shocked into complete silence. Satsuki was right...perfect bull’s-eyes on all targets, as usual. Her hypocrisy laid bare, she stewed in her shame for a while, pondering just how she went so wrong in her reasoning. Why _was_ she so blasted angry with those punks, anyways? It’s not like they had a snowflake’s chance in Hell of actually harming either of the two extraordinarily combat-savvy women, all things considered. So what was she hoping to prove in that alley? What was she really seeking, other than the opportunity to bathe in the blood of her worthless enemies? To goad them into violent and brutal combat, in order to justify the horrific murder that she craved so very-

_‘Fuck, what am I even thinking? I don’t wanna straight up murder people! That’s just...crazy talk...’_

Yet a part of her _did_ want it, and she felt the delicious desire pulling on her nerves. An excuse to take their pathetic lives, to lick the warm blood from their cooling corpses as she purred and rutted herself to orgasmic--‘ _oh my God I feel sick’._

“Oh my God. I’m such a horrible person. I’m...I’m an abomination. I can’t believe I...I’m so sick! I should be locked up, and the key thrown far, far away.”

“Oh, Ryuko. Please ease back on your egregious dose of self-pity. I know you’re obviously still having some issues with self-control and anger management, but let’s not have you hurtling straight down into such a tar pit of self-loathing and depression, all right? I just need to know that the beautifully empathic wonder girl I know and love is still around, to guide me and help me be a better person like we discussed! I can’t very well afford to have my self-appointed moral compass acting like my old, cruel and sadistic self, now can I?”

“Ah...no. No, you certainly can’t…”

_‘I’m gonna be sick. Hell, I am sick! What the heck am I gonna do?’’_

_‘… **you know what you must do**...’_

_‘…huh? Wha--I ‘know’…what?’_

‘ ** _You are going to give in. Submit to your instincts. You cannot deny them. Bow to your destiny_** _…’_

_‘Like hell!’_

‘ ** _Hell…Hell is trying to resist. Soon, you shall taste Heaven and never look back_** _…’_

_‘Oh, God…’_

_‘ **Do not call out for such a being, Matoi Ryuko…for soon, you shall BE such a being** …’_

“Sats, pull over right now! I’m gonna be sick!”

“Ah? Okay…there! Ryuko, are you all right? I didn’t know you were _actually_ sick!”

Ryuko, now precariously hunched over the road’s safety railing, evacuated her stomach in a most violent manner as waves of vertigo pounded and twisted inside it. As she dizzily balanced on the railing’s edge, she found herself detachedly staring off into space, absently massaging her pounding temples with one trembling hand as a terrible thought slowly formed.

_‘Sats, you don’t know the half of it. I…I think I’m goin’ insane…’_

-

 

 

 

“Goin’ to Mako’s, Sats. Don’t wait up, prolly be another late one…love ya.”

“I love you, t-“ Satsuki’s response was cut off by the slamming door. A few moments later she heard the telltale roar of a familiar motorcycle as Ryuko quickly sped off. This ‘secret project’ of theirs must not be a simple task, whatever it was, seeing as it apparently left Ryuko with a notably sour mood come nightfall. Going by the vaguest of mumbled descriptions, Satsuki could only divine that it was related to preparations for Mako’s new job and that it would take ‘a while’ to properly sort out.

Apparently it was also something that Satsuki could not assist with, since her offers to help were rebuked in a snide and almost condescending manner. She didn’t want to forcefully intrude upon their friendship, this was true...but it would have been nice to at least be given the opportunity to assess the potential for providing any help herself? It was a mystery, much like Ryuko’s recent attitude changes. How much to push Ryuko for information versus how much room to leave for much-needed personal space...this was a delicate balance that Satsuki still tried to calculate on a daily basis. She didn’t want to be overbearing or pushy...yet she worried quite a bit more than she let on.

Her keen desire to assist Ryuko and her friend notwithstanding, Satsuki was also silently grappling with a somewhat new phenomenon: she was becoming rather lonely. Work was, as always, demanding of her utmost attention, but she had at least become wise enough to mete out mandatory personal time as well. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if she burned herself out in such a stressful manner, and so she found herself looking forward to their mutual time off together. Whether it was quiet snuggling during movies, aimlessly poking around in quaint bookstores and antique shops, or just enjoying tea time while Ryuko planned her next ‘daring move’ in their latest chess match (bless her heart, she tries _so_ hard to impress Satsuki with amateur tactics that are painfully easy to anticipate!)...Satsuki found her evenings and weekends increasingly empty, with Ryuko gone as soon as she changed out of her work clothes, and more often than not coming home until long after Satsuki retired to bed.

Satsuki found herself to be nursing an increasingly hollow heartache that she never really had to address before. She began to pine for any amount of contact she could arrange with Ryuko, but their work environment afforded little opportunity for a chance at such meaningful affections. Ryuko’s work skills were progressing at a satisfactory rate, and Ms. Amane noted in her last review just how very enthusiastically empathic Ryuko was to the new arrivals: her daily emotional roller coaster ride always seemed to vacillate between a zenith of impassioned, cheerful encouragement towards the abused and a nadir of virulent, blistering hatred towards the abusers. This was anticipated given her past history, but perhaps Ryuko was reacting just a bit too intensely to the plights of those in need? President Kiryuin Satsuki hadn’t the time to witness many of these interactions herself, divided as she was between the foundation and the aerospace company…but perhaps it was better if she did find a way to insinuate herself in Ryuko’s public interactions after all, especially in light of recent events.

While she admired Ryuko’s devoted faithfulness to her best friend as well as her charges at work, Satsuki was becoming somewhat disenchanted with her sibling’s increasingly brusque attitude towards herself, both at work and at home. The latest incident was a most troubling indication that Ryuko did actually have some lingering anger management issues…ones that could conceivably threaten her respected status amongst both friend and family alike.

Satsuki found herself trying to complete the incident report, still waiting upon her desk. Trying to distance her own self enough to be a dispassionate observer in writing up the details...this was a daunting task, given the nature of the unfortunate confrontation and its potential ramifications. Would Ryuko’s coworkers ever feel at ease around her again, after witnessing the full capabilities of her unchecked rage? Satsuki was still calculating exactly what language to use during next week’s staff meeting, to address the situation before Ryuko returned from her suspension...some people were outright frightened by what they saw and heard that day.

It began as a normal day at the office, with occasional visitors milling about with questions about substance abuse or hushed requests for psychological counseling. Front Desk Liaison Matoi Ryuko, as usual, handled it all in stride with hushed courtesy and quiet, practiced aplomb. It was becoming rather apparent that she had a way with people; even if she wasn’t quite willing to admit as such (blushing was usually triggered as she mumbled shyly about it), she was rather good at assessing needs and handling them appropriately. But when one distraught woman furtively snuck in, carrying a traumatized toddler with her...this was what set the stage for Ryuko to eventually lose her carefully cultivated composure in a frightfully violent manner.

Rushing over in a blur, the eager front desk assistant set upon assessing her latest arrivals and was immediately shocked by both the woman’s soundless weeping and her little boy’s bright-red, swollen, and blistered arm. His weeping face was buried deeply in his mother’s neck, and when he heard a stranger’s voice near him he started to cry even louder.

The woman had a nervous, awkward smile on her face: the kind of shock-precipitated smile that said _‘I’m so ashamed to have to bother you, but….’_ Ryuko rushed over, whispering that it was all right, everything would be all right…and to tell her just what the hell happened.

“H-husband was drunk again, he was mad. Dinner wasn’t ready, he came home early! We fought as usual, a-and the water was spilled! It was...an accident! He didn’t mean it, the boy was just trying to protect Mommy, he--the pot splashed him, it was still boiling...my husband, he was so _mad_ , he kept hitting me, over and over! He was going to kill me, like he always swore he would...I couldn’t even stop to dress the arm, I had to run!  I came right here, I was meaning to eventually come here for help, I swear I was! The...the hospitals, all too easy for him to find us there! I--you _hide_ people, yes? Your organization, it...helps people like me? If I go back, he’ll kill me, I just know it! He showed me the knife he was going to use! He means to do it! Please, I beg of you! We have nowhere else to go! I need you to help my boy! Please! He’s been burned! His arm...!”

Ryuko’s face switched to that of grim determination. Motioning to one of the office assistants, she silently arranged for medical aid as she guided the trembling woman to an intake room located down the main corridor. “Of _course_ we’ll help you, this is what we do! Come with me now, we’ll need to treat your poor baby boy for that terrible burn, all right? Don’t touch the blisters, we need to wash that area! It’s all right, everything is going to be better from here on out. I absolutely promise you that no more harm will come to either of you, okay? Your days of living in fear are _over_. You’re in the safest place ever, I promise!”

Nodding nervously, the woman managed to produce a faint smile in sincerest gratitude. “Thank you, a million thanks to you! You have no idea, living with that man...I…he, he just...”

Ryuko nodded slowly, jaw set firm in stern control of her swelling emotions. “I do know, I do. Try not to think about that right now. We’ll fix your son up, right as rain! There we go, the nurses are here now, all right? They’re gonna take your son now, it’s only into the next room, okay? They just need to treat that burn properly, and then he’ll be right by your side again real soon, okay? You can let go of him now, he’s in good hands, I promise! Okay, there ya go, that’s good. They are the _best_ medical pros in the business, he’ll be smiling in no time, I swear to you! Just between you and me…? I’ll bet he gets a big ol’ teddy bear outta the experience, eh? Now...how ‘bout yourself? Are you okay? Did he hurt you at all? Your face seems untouched, but I need to ask if he did any other-“

The woman jerkily nodded her head, eyes pinched shut in a pained, wordless response. She slowly lifted up her blouse to reveal a topographical map of blotchy, lumpy bruises. The yellow-red-green-purple distribution of knots told a grim story that had multiple chapters over a long period of time. Ryuko quietly gasped as the woman allowed her terrible domestic shame to finally be witnessed by another person.

“Never the face. He knows better, to leave any mark that would draw unwanted...attention. I...I’m never good enough to please him! He drinks...b-because I fail him as a wife! He punishes me to correct my behavior, but...I...I cannot _be_ better than I already am! I’m not good enough, _never_ good enough for him! But now, _now_ he threatens my baby, hurting me just isn’t enough anymore! That is when I _know_ I have to be brave and l-leave him for good. My shameful cowardice, it is costing my baby boy his childhood! He should be loved and cherished, not harmed, not beaten! This I cannot allow! So please, _please_ help me find a way to grant my child the life he deserves!”

Eyebrows knit together in pained unity, Ryuko swallowed hard as she leaned forward to gently embrace the battered woman. Voice just barely under the limit of emotional cracking, she managed to utter a soothing message to her frightened new charge. “Listen. My name is Matoi Ryuko. I swear to you on this day that I will not rest until you and your child are free to live out life as it should be: unharmed and free from violence and hate. We will do everything we possibly can to create a new life for you both. That’s what The RECOVER Foundation does: we will help you recover from this...that is our very reason for being here in the first place!”

“A-Ayako. My name is Ayako. My little boy, his name is Soichi.”

“Ah! No kidding? My dad’s name was Soichiro! See, that’s a nice name for a boy! Pleased to meetcha, Ayako-san! Hey, didja notice that he’s not crying anymore? See, they’ve already got him feelin’ better in there! Listen, I’m gonna have the nurses check on you after him, okay? Those looked like some really nasty hits, and ya might have a cracked rib or two...and I personally know just how much those hurt, okay?”

“I...I suppose so. I don’t want to interrupt anyone from doing their duty...”

“You aren’t interrupting anyone from their job...you _are_ their job! Let us take care of you too, okay? Please?”

“O-okay. I will do as you ask. What...what will we do about my husband? He will be looking for me! I’m afraid that he might hurt someone! He is a very strong man, with a very quick temper!”

“Don’t you worry about that. We have excellent security...and even better lawyers! This is what we do here, we fight for what’s right. No worries, we’re gonna protect you from whatever-“

“Ah…Miss Matoi? Sorry to interrupt. I need to speak with you for a moment.” The voice from outside the room was soft, pleasant and had just the tiniest sliver of alarm embedded in it. Ryuko patted Ayako’s hands, giving her a small smile of confidence before slipping out into the hallway. One of the counter girls was standing at attention in front of the door, eyes of concern betraying her otherwise chipper, smiling politeness.

“There’s a problem at the front gate. There’s a man here, demanding to be let in. It appears as though he may be related to our newest arrivals? We’re looking for the president now to inform her as per our standard policy, but-“

A dark scowl swept across the young Matoi’s face. She patted the girl on her shoulder as she started to trot towards the front door. “Never mind telling the boss. _I_ got this. Take care of Ayako, will ya? Try to get her to calm down…she ain’t gotta worry about _anything,_ anymore. I’ll personally make sure of _that_.”

 

 

-

 

 

“I’m tellin’ ya, I got business in that there fancy house of yers! That’s my wife and my kid you got in there, and I _demand_ you lemme see ‘em at once, _or else_!”

An enormous figure was seated within a comically small hatchback, with one muscular arm gesticulating wildly towards the two front gate guards, who were busy telling him in no uncertain terms that he was trespassing and the authorities would be notified if he continued his belligerent behavior. Bushy, curly hair spilled over his sweaty mug as he cursed and yelled, threatening a colorful assortment of highly illegal activities to all who stood in his way. Ryuko slipped through the gate, smiling pleasantly as she approached the most unwelcome visitor.

“Sir, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave, ‘kay? Here, lemme translate what these guards are sayin’, just so there ain’t any misunderstanding: we ain’t buyin’ what you’re sellin’, jerkwad. Beat it!”

“Fuck _you_ , lady! The taxi company told me where she went! She’s here, wit’ my kid! Now you bring my wife and son here to me so I can take ‘em home where they belong, sweetcheeks!”

“Ain’t gonna happen, bozo. Push off! Our lawyers will be contacting you soon enough. Of course, if ya really wanna push things, we could always serve you papers while behind bars, since you’ve already been warned about trespassing on private property! Wanna push yer luck, fat boy?”

The man snarled, fist pounding his car door as he spat upon the ground at Ryuko’s feet. He stabbed one sausage-like digit towards her face as he growled his sinister orders. “Fuck that, ya stupid slut! Yer gonna go and fetch me my wife and my kid, like a good little girl! They’re both _my_ private property, ya get me?”

That was the volatile spark that finally blew Ryuko’s powder-keg temper straight up into the stratosphere. She visibly stiffened as molten metal coursed through her palpitating heart. Growling like a mad hyena, she stomped ominously towards his car window. He started to quickly roll it up as a precaution, but that was about as effective as shooing away a heat-seeking missile with a birthday candle. Her fist bashed straight through the tempered glass, clamping down upon his thick neck with terrifying strength as sparkling glass bits cascaded all over the interior of his tiny vehicle.

“C’mere, you fuckin’ wife-beating, child burning waste of _skin!_ ” Ryuko laboriously dragged him through the window frame, yanking him out even as he tried in vain to grip the steering wheel, then the door handle. The two security guards exchanged amazed glances, then shrugged as she had his way with him. She was the ranking official on the premises if the president wasn’t around, as far as they had been told. They had put up with enough of the abusive bastard’s caustic insults…and they would certainly enjoy front-row seats to witnessing him getting his just desserts.

Hoisting up his enormous frame with little effort, Ryuko fumed and hissed in poisonous anger at the barbaric troll that dared to treat his own flesh and blood relatives in such a deplorable manner. She was about to launch into a spirited tirade when his giant fist came crashing down suddenly onto her nose, his cruel smile quickly fading into a fearful frown of disbelief when he saw that this gesture was completely ineffective at obtaining his freedom.

Chuckling, Ryuko glanced down for a moment, then slowly looked back up, a deranged smile cutting across her features. “Yo there, bud…you’ve been working those triceps, huh?” She sniffled as a tiny droplet of blood appeared under her nose. A single fingertip flicked it away as she giggled and mumbled “Ooh, that tingles…”

The man had barely enough time to exclaim “Whut da _heck?!_ ” before Ryuko suddenly dragged him to the front of his still-running car. “You wanna feel what it’s like to be utterly powerless, tough guy? Here. Lemme _show ya!_ ”

She clamped one hand upon the car’s nose, then tore the hood open in one swift motion, metal shrieking loudly in protest as the man observed this feat of unbelievable strength with pants-wetting terror. “Oi, will ya look at that? They just don’t make ‘em like they used to! Gosh, that’s a real shame. So tell me, tough guy. What _is_ it about huge dudes and tiny cars, huh? You should be like my buddy Ira, now he’s a huge dude in a _huge_ car! Aw, but that would make _sense_ …I guess that’s why ya don’t do it.”

Ryuko slowly forced the struggling man’s head under the hood, his nose coming perilously close to superheated metal and whirling fan blades. He begged, burbled, farted, and quaked with fear as she crooned sardonically into his trembling ear. “Oi! Ya feel that, big boy? That’s what it feels like when someone who is way more powerful than you decides to do as they please with _your_ dumb ass. See now, I’m just gonna go ahead and check the oil while I’m under here. Do _you_ see any dipsticks under here, hah? DO YA? Well, I do…and it would be a real shame if one were to somehow get in my **WAY** while I did that, right? Can ya _imagine_ that? Hurting someone yer suppose ta love and cherish and protect…just ‘cause they got in yer way? Eh? _Speak up, you motherfucking assclown!_ I can’t  hear you!”

“ _YES_ my god YES I’m so SORRY I don’t know what I was THINKING! _Please don’t KILL me!_ ” the burly man blubbered, tears and snot coursing down his bushy moustache as he shamefully begged and pleaded for his miserable life. Ryuko moved in closer, purring sultry words of doom into his ear as the grip tightened on his neck, inexorably pushing his face down towards the whirling radiator fan blades as she continued to talk.

“Gee, I don’t know if you really mean it though. I mean, I just saw a little boy in there? His poor little arm is burned up so badly? And _someone_ beat his mommy up pretty bad, too. She can barely even walk! I guarantee that they’re gonna remember _this_ fer the rest of their lives. Now the way I figure it…why should YOU get off so easy, fat boy? Maybe you need a _permanent_ reminder of just how very regretful you need to be when you go and-“

“ **MATOI RYUKO!** Stop what you are doing this _INSTANT!_ ” Ryuko grimaced, then slowly looked up to see President Kiryuin Satsuki, glaring at her through the bars of the front gate. Her enormously livid grimace was obvious to all, yet only Ryuko could have picked up on the well of overwhelmingly sad disappointment that was now filling Satsuki’s haunted eyes. The president stabbed one finger down towards the ground.

“Release that man at _once,_ Matoi. I will not tell you again!”

“Do you know what this fat asshole _did_ , Kiryuin? He burned up his own son, and beat the shit outta his wife! I can’t just let him get away with-“

“None of that matters if you are going to sink down to _his_ level. Matoi, if you harm that man, I will press charges against you _myself._ ”

Squinting hard, Ryuko’s eyes rolled towards the man’s blubbering face. It would be _so_ easy…just push down a bit more, and…BAM, lesson learned! But…it wouldn’t _really_ be learned, would it? No, this probably wouldn’t solve anything, really. That, plus Satsuki was _super_ pissed at her now. Here she was, blatantly breaking her solemn promise to represent Satsuki’s best intentions towards humanity by willfully becoming an abusive savage herself. If there was anything Ryuko had a natural talent for, it was angering her dearest elder sibling…but losing Satsuki’s faith would be far more injurious to Ryuko than a missing nose would be to ‘Daddy Dearest’ here. She _had_ to put a stop to this, regardless of what her hungering heart was screaming.

Ryuko grunted, then _harrumphed_ as she reluctantly released her grip upon the man’s sweaty neck. He unceremoniously fell to the ground, still blubbering and choking in paralyzed fear as he dropped into a wet heap on the driveway. She let the ruined hood clang down, causing the man to jump and fart again in sheer terror. Her spirit now weighted down with ponderous guilt, Ryuko quietly marched back through the gates, unable to even look up and meet her sister’s soul-piercing gaze.

President Satsuki motioned towards the two gate guards with one nuanced head swivel. “Get that man out of here. Tell him to expect to be hearing from our lawyers, and to _never_ come back here again.” The guards nodded enthusiastically, hustling over to dutifully assist the traumatized little man back into his traumatized little vehicle. She watched in calculated silence as Ryuko slowly plodded past the gate, then her own self.

“What do you have to say for yourself, Matoi? Explain your actions!”

“If yer waiting for me to say that I regret doing it, I don’t. Fat boy had it comin’ after what he did to that poor kid.”

“Very well. In that case, you are hereby suspended from duty, pending further review. Go home and cool off, Ryuko. We’ll talk about this when I get home.”

“But I-“

“ _No further arguments!_ I have spoken. Go. **_Now._** ”

“Buh-but…f-fine then, your royal lordship! I’m _gone._ ”

Satsuki coldly observed Ryuko as she made a beeline for her motorcycle, kicking it to life with tremendous fury and subsequently peeling out as she zoomed away through the side gate, intense scowl upon her face as she did.

Satsuki wanted to scream. She wanted to weep. She wanted to comfort her dear heart. She wanted to punch something until it was completely, utterly broken. But her face betrayed no hint regarding these emotions: she was the foundation’s president; honor-bound to set the example for her charges to follow, and to put aside her own feelings in order to do what was _right_.

President Kiryuin finished her day by tending to the newly arrived woman and her child, personally making sure that they received proper medical care and preliminary counseling. After verifying that they had been safely shuttled away to one of The RECOVER Foundation’s many designated safe house facilities, she saw to it that the staff lawyers had already initiated the proper legal proceedings to have the man prosecuted for his irresponsible barbarism.

The work day now officially over, Satsuki took her sweet time in her private office as the others filed out, gathering up her briefcase and coat as she changed into more comfortable shoes for the trip home. She idly wondered if Ryuko would even be waiting for her at home, or if she would be AWOL yet again. She knew in her mind that she did the right thing: Ryuko was caught red-handed, violently sullying the foundation’s good name for the sake of petty revenge. So then _why_ did her heart hurt so damned much when she thought about suspending Ryuko indefinitely?

Quietly closing the closet door, Satsuki caught a glimpse of her gaunt reflection in the polished wood’s surface as she turned to walk away. Frowning, she momentarily regarded her face in the glossy wood grain…then unleashed a frustrated scream as she struck out at it with one lethal fist. The face split as the door was cleaved in two, one piece tumbling away as Satsuki callously watched it fall to the ground with a clatter.

She fired off a quick maintenance request to the facilities staff; the door would be repaired by morning, no questions asked. Yet questions there were plenty, asked of herself as she drove home in seething silence.

 

 

-

 

 

Ryuko wasn’t present when Satsuki arrived home. She wasn’t entirely surprised. Nor was she shocked to find herself retiring to bed alone, with no words, text or e-mails to placate her gnawing worry. It was well after midnight when she found herself being awoken by the clumsy motions of a silent figure, slipping into bed without a word.

“Hey.” Satsuki quietly called out.

“… _hey_.” The voice was hoarse, the word being more of a dry, strained whisper than an actual attempt at verbal communication.

“Are you all right, Ryuko? I was very worried about you…”

“Fffine. ‘M jus’ _fine_...g’nigh’, Satzzz…”

“…good night, Ryuko.”

Satsuki heard the girl plunge into a deep slumber in a matter of seconds. It was only then that she noticed the odd, pungent smells wafting over from across the bed’s vast expanse: the stink of cigarette smoke, the sharp odor of cheap booze…and the tangy copper of recently-spilled blood.

Satsuki moved to turn on the bedside light. Ryuko’s head was buried sideways within her pillow, drool already forming a light sheen upon her chin. She hadn’t even managed to successfully nestle herself under the sheets, instead having passed out mid-crawl.  There was no immediate sign of injury upon the girl’s mostly nude body, but the dirty white tank-top she was wearing told a worrisome tale.

Speckles of vomit decorated the upper edge of the neck lining, while cigarette burn marks and various rips and tears denoted where an obvious bar fight or two had left their telltale marks. Satsuki shook her head in nose-wrinkling disgust...until she saw where the stab wound in Ryuko’s side had bloomed into a dark maroon crust.

Gasping, she worked quickly to turn the unconscious girl’s chilly body over. Rock-hard nipples poked up from wobbling breasts, peeking out through several, apparently recent knife marks in the fabric. Multicolored stains gave it the appearance of the world’s worst urban camouflage pattern ever, resulting from what seemed to be numerous shots of clumsily spilled (or thrown?) alcohol. Satsuki quickly checked the kidney area where the stab wound was apparent and found that Ryuko’s flesh was blessedly unharmed: she must have healed from whatever event had caused this atrocious, gory hole. It was a fairly small slit, most likely a switchblade from the looks of it.

Satsuki looked down at the rest of her wayward sister. Dried blood was still visible on her knuckles, as well as under her nose. She was still wearing a red-sequined thong (She _owns_ a pair of these?), along with a single red sock that barely clung to one limp foot. Patches of dirt, dust and ashes haphazardly covered her arms and legs. Traces of glittering glass bottle fragments and wood splinters were evident in her knotted, lumpy hair.

Glancing at the floor, Satsuki spied a trail of hastily cast-aside clothes in the hallway, leading into the bedroom. Sighing to herself, she checked one more time on Ryuko’s miraculously-steady breathing, then set herself to the task of picking up after the discarded trail of war accessories.

A long, crumpled receipt fell out of Ryuko’s disturbingly filthy jeans as they were picked up, and Satsuki caught a glimpse of a rather long list of assorted beverages from that evening’s bar tab...a tab that totaled over forty thousand yen. Her keen eyes scanned the various charges, one by one. They were all drinks that Ryuko was known to enjoy, as was personally witnessed on the eve of Satsuki’s (now infamous) twentieth birthday party, the latter of which was spent holding back poor Ryuko’s hair as she wretchedly puked into the toilet all night long.

There was no _way_ she could have consumed all of these by herself. Right? Well, there were no answers to be found here: Ryuko was very, very unconscious right now. Satsuki briefly considered bathing the poor, filthy drunk...then thought differently as she imagined the terrific fight a suddenly-awakened-yet-still-inebriated Ryuko could potentially put up.

Dumping the clothes into a laundry hamper, Satsuki then peered out of the bedroom window to look in front of the garage. Ryuko’s motorcycle was resting on its side, on the grass next to the driveway. _‘I cannot believe it. She obviously rode that thing home while drunk! I simply cannot allow this sort of thing to continue...there will be harsh words between us, come the morning!’_

Alas, the morning only came to reveal an empty bed next to Satsuki, once she drowsily awoke from her faithful bedside vigil. Her phone was blinking a text message alert, which she hastily opened and read.

_‘sorry. not mad at you, mad at me. im a mess, i fucked up bad, so sorry! got super wasted, dont remember much, lost a few fights im a total loser. you should fire me, even tho itll kill me, i want to help them and you so bad! i was wrong. you are right 100%. i am sorry, i was a monster, am a monster!! please dont hate me but i understand if you do, love, your idiot girl ryuko’_

She blearily looked out the window to find that her sibling’s motorcycle had been properly placed upright, yet was still inexplicably there. Where, then, did Ryuko go? Even more mysteriously, she didn’t answer any more of Satsuki’s worried texts throughout the entire day, only reappearing later that evening with a heartbreakingly sad expression and haunted eyes, dark, bloated and puffy from repeated crying bouts.

Satsuki didn’t care to lecture her wayward sister at that point; she could only move to embrace the deeply depressed youth as she stood there in silence on the front steps, pitifully trembling and weak from hunger and dehydration. Ryuko appeared to be in the process of completely falling apart, yet she couldn’t (or wouldn’t) offer any coherent reasons for exactly what was troubling her when pressed.

In the end, it didn’t really matter. Satsuki would discover in less than a week’s time just how deeply disturbed her beautiful sibling truly was…all it took was a single, fateful surprise visit from Mankanshoku Mako to cause Matoi Ryuko’s house of lies to come crashing down upon the both of them.

 

 

-

 

 

“You are lying to me, Ryuko! Mankanshoku Mako stopped by earlier today, you know. In _fact_ , she said that she misses you, since you haven’t stopped by to see her in _weeks!_ She’s sad that you have neglected her, and now I’m sad that you have blatantly lied to my face. I demand to know why.”

This information served only to harden the young drifter’s features, once she found herself being unexpectedly cornered by her supremely livid sister’s sudden confrontation. Jaw clenched impossibly tight, she quietly muttered “You…you wouldn’t understand.” Her head dropped down, hair cascading over pale features to cover the turmoil now present in her precariously slipping mask of sanity.

Incensed, the former Kiryuin warlord gritted her teeth noisily as anger flared in her breast. “I refuse to accept that as an answer, Ryuko! There is nothing I cannot ‘understand’, if provided with the facts. The _truth_. What do you have to say for yourself, in light of what I just told you? SPEAK!”

Ryuko whipped her head up, temples flaring a dull maroon as sweat trickled down her slowly-reddening face. “Who, me? I’d probably say ‘ _Ease the fuck up, Inspector Noseypants_ ’! I didn’t… _lie_ , exactly. I’ve been going to Mako’s house at night for the past few weeks. I didn’t say I actually went _in_. I just…I couldn’t bear to do that. I’m so afraid of bad stuff happening! I ain’t gonna be near my bestest pal if I suddenly go all crazy and shit, ya know? Yeah, yeah, I know you prolly think I’m nuts, Doctor Satsuki! Hell, even now I’m really lubed up and _rrr-_ ready to…ugh, I really want to do…some really…bad things…rrrgh! Damn it all, Kiryuin! You and your fucking blasé, know-it-all attitude! I swear, sometime you make me wanna just fucking go and…and…”

Satsuki stiffened, one fist pounding against her thigh as she jabbed an index finger towards her erratic sibling. “Are you actually _threatening_ me, Matoi? That distinctly sounded like a threat of imminent violence. How _dare_ you react to me in such a disgraceful manner!”

Ruoko winced, then slowly brought up both of her fists together in front of her troubled face. Satsuki tensed for a split second, interpreting this to be a sign of yet another heated brawl between them. Instead, Ryuko solemnly buried her face behind the curled fists, bloodlessly white knuckles pressed to a sweat-beaded forehead as her shoulders imperceptibly shuddered. Eyes closed tight in silent contemplation, the young firebrand just stood there, efforts to compose her tornado of thoughts having a diminishing level of success. Her lips mouthed a string of mostly unintelligible words, haphazardly spilling out random, poorly-hidden fragments of a crumbling soul: “…losing…trying….focus, can’t… _no_ …you _won’t_ win, can’t…!”

Satsuki also just stood there, observing her sister’s inexcusable behavior play out in a most shameful manner. She waited for the wound-up youth to lash out at her, fully expecting her authoritarian attitude to earn her an attempted, misguided and utterly pointless ass kicking.

“Ryuko, if you’re going to try and hit me, just _do_ it! We need to work past this childish nonsense, and my patience is growing quite thin.” Satsuki was deliberately poking at the hydrogen balloon now, since it was obvious that way too much pressure had been allowed to build up between them. All of her preliminary tactical planning evaporated, however, when she observed Ryuko to shudder with one final, violent twitch, quietly drop her guard and slowly look up at her. All anguished traces of imminent violence had been magically wiped away, replaced with a serene, tranquil expression of muted happiness.

“Oh, no. No, Satsuki. You don’t understand. I have no harm in mind for you whatsoever. I _love_ you! I want you to be absolutely healthy and safe, you are simply too important to me! When I think about all the punishment you’ve endured in your proud lifetime; all that damage, the horrible pain and twisted suffering…it simply won’t do. It’s just not fair at all! So I’m going to find a way to make it all better, I _promise_ you that. Hey now…come here, you. Give your imouto-san a hug! I need you to  feel the love, not just hear me talk about it!”

Ryuko opened her arms just then, a grand and swooping motion that brought to mind a falcon, preparing to take majestic flight. Satsuki hesitated: something just didn’t quite ring true about the whole situation. Her sister’s behavioral cues, they were now somehow…off. Stilted. Grandiose and powerful, not shy and mildly awkward, peppered with either fearsome defensive threats or guilty, paranoid posturing. What was bringing on such a marked change in mannerisms, then? Drug use, perhaps? Had she developed a drinking problem, like their dear father did (although she had detected no telltale reek of alcohol in the past week)? Or was something more unsavory at play here? She simply needed to know.

This moment of situational analysis was processed extraordinarily quickly, yet Ryuko sensed the brief pause anyways. She frowned as her head cocked to one side, a slight look of hurt upon her features. “What, come on then? No hug? Don’t you trust me, Sats?” She beckoned with one outstretched palm, gently coaxing and prodding her dear sister to come closer.

Satsuki blinked, then reluctantly relaxed her instinctually coiled spine. Something was somehow managing to trigger her embedded awareness alarm, but she really had nothing concrete to base it upon. Satsuki just wanted to soothe her emotionally tortured sister at all costs, and the distraught girl seemed to be calmer already. She reluctantly moved in closer, allowing Ryuko to quickly close the gap and encircle her waist with a gentle grasp of loving want.

“There now, that’s better, see? My dearest Satsuki. I love you, you know…I love you so very, very much. I cannot bear the idea of you hurting any longer. I will make the pain go away, I promise!” The young Kiryuin slowly wrapped her lithe arms around her younger sibling’s form, exhaling her unexplainable nervousness away by sheer force of will as she did. She submitted quietly to the warm, comforting presence of the girl she had come to treasure like no one else, cherishing the loving sensations as the very rarest of precious gifts.

“I...love you too, Ryuko-chan. I would be utterly lost without you.” Another brief shudder rippled through Ryuko’s frame, and Satsuki squeezed just a bit more to counter the presumed swell of emotions that were now ensnaring the love-struck troublemaker. Satsuki slowly pulled her head back, just enough to come nose to nose with the blessedly sweet angel in her life.

A single tear slipped down from the inside corner of Ryuko’s shimmering cobalt eyes. Satsuki idly watched it trickle down, eventually snaking its way past the corner of that adorable little nose and the cutest of smiling lips…and as it rolled past one glistening, fiber-serrated fang, two hypervelocity shocks suddenly bolted through her being.

First, she had finally managed to identify the strange, eerily out-of-place behavioral patterns she noted before: they weren’t the sweetly goofy antics of her beloved Matoi Ryuko, now standing perilously close to her…they were much more reminiscent of the darkly seductive, predatory actions of one _Kiryuin Ragyo_ : long since deceased, yet still an ominous, lingering presence to those who once lived in her cold shadow.

Second, the grasp of a steely fist had just seized Satsuki’s flowing locks, pulling her head back in one surprisingly swift motion as Ryuko delicately whispered a missive that was barely audible, yet still crystal clear.

“Satsuki, I don’t want to just _be_ with you… _I want to synchronize with you._ ”

Satsuki was still trying in vain to process the cryptic meaning of this chilling comment as razor teeth savagely pierced her throat’s tender flesh.

 

 

-

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to ‘Dissonance’.
> 
> No, this is not turning into a run-of-the-mill vampire story, in case you were wondering.
> 
> It’s much worse than that.
> 
>  
> 
> Content notes:
> 
> ‘Criticality’ - this title alludes to a number of definitions, all at the same time:
> 
> Medical: (pertaining to a patient's condition) having unstable and abnormal vital signs and other unfavorable indicators, such as loss of appetite, poor mobility, or unconsciousness.  
> Physics: pertaining to a state, value, or quantity at which one or more properties of a substance or system undergo a change.  
> Nuclear physics: when a fissile material has enough mass to self-sustain a nuclear chain reaction.
> 
>  
> 
> Yeah, so I realize that most of the jokes during their little ‘pun skirmish’ are dictionally and phonetically bound to only really work with certain, specific languages. Like Satsuki says, humor is tough. Just go with it.
> 
> Satsuki’s silly joke (which only makes sense in Japanese): Q: A pig and a horse had a race. Who won? A: The pig. ('Ton-katsu dakara'! 'Ton-katsu' is 'pork cutlet', and 'katsu' also means 'to win'. Dakara is ‘because’ or’ therefore’. The pork cutlet won, obviously! Dammit, now I’m hungry.)
> 
> Ryuko’s silly joke (which also only makes sense in Japanese): Q: What Japanese drink is made from cabbage, carrots, and broccoli? A: Mitsuya Cider! ('mitsu yasai da' is a phrase that means 'three vegetables'). Mitsuya Cider (三ツ矢サイダー) is a popular Japanese carbonated soft drink, sort of like a Sprite and ginger ale mix.
> 
> On a (pointless) side note, I’m somehow convinced that Uzu would never get any of these jokes. He’s somewhat dense, that lad (in case you somehow couldn’t tell?)!


End file.
